Warewashing machine with drain water tempering system

ABSTRACT

A warewashing machine including a housing defining an internal volume, a heat source for heating the water from a first water source, a hot water tank for receiving water heated by the heat source, an agitation unit for applying water to the dishware, and a drain water tempering system having a drain water fitting defining an interior chamber, a drain water inlet port, a drain water outlet port, a cool water inlet port, and a drain tempering valve disposed within the cool water inlet port and movable between a closed position blocking a fluid flow path between the interior chamber and an open position opening the flow path, the drain tempering valve including a temperature sensor, wherein the interior chamber defines a top volume portion, and a bottom volume portion, disposed below a threshold at which the drain water outlet port intersects the interior chamber of the body.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to warewashing machines. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to warewashing machinesincluding systems for tempering water that is drained from warewashingmachines after dishware cleaning operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Warewashing machines perform cleaning and sanitizing cycles on dishwarethat may utilize water at high temperatures, e.g. up to 180° F.Regulations exist that put an upper limit of 140° F./60° C. on thetemperature of wastewater that may be discharged into a building'sdrainage system. For example, Chapter 7, Section 701.7 of the 2018International Plumbing Code provides that “wastewater when dischargedinto the building drainage system shall be at a temperature not higherthan 140° F. (60° C.). When higher temperatures exist, approved coolingmethods shall be provided.” Regulations dictate this upper limit onwastewater drainage because, when drained, wastewater initially flowsdown into traps provided in the building's drainage piping that areintended, among other things, to trap grease and prevent the grease fromflowing down further into the drainage system, where it may solidify andcause blockages. If wastewater exceeding the defined limit is allowed todrain, and thus enter the traps, the wastewater can melt or dislodge thepreviously solidified grease from the traps, allowing the grease to flowdownstream within the drainage system where it can re-solidify, possiblycausing a blockage at a point that is not readily accessible. As well,various components, such as, but not limited to, piping, fittings,gaskets, etc., may be formed of materials, such as, but not limited to,polyvinylchloride (PVC), nylon, etc., that may be damaged by excessiveheat. One of the approved cooling methods is the use of a drain watertempering system, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, to mix cold water withthe hot wastewater as it drains from the warewashing machine.

FIGS. 1A and 1B provide a partial view of a warewashing machine 10including an interior volume 12 in which dishwares 69 (FIG. 6 ) to becleaned are disposed, a hot water tank 16 that stores a volume of water19 that is recirculated within the interior volume 12 by a recirculationpump 18 during cleaning and sterilization operations, and a drain watertempering system 20 that connects the hot water tank 16 to the drainagesystem (not shown) of a building. Referring additionally to FIGS. 2A and2B, a known drain water tempering system 20 includes a drain waterfitting 22 and a drain tempering valve 24. Drain water fitting 22includes a substantially cylindrical body 21 defining an interiorchamber 23, a drain water inlet port 25 in fluid communication with adrain 17 on the bottom wall of hot water tank 16, a cold water inletport 27 that is in fluid communication with a cold water source (notshown) of the building as well as interior chamber 23 of drain waterfitting 22, and a drain water outlet port 29 that is in fluidcommunication with the drain system of the building.

Referring specifically to FIG. 1A, in operation, a standpipe 30 has anopen bottom end 32 that is seated within drain 17 of hot water tank 16so that hot water accumulates within the hot water tank 16 until thelevel of hot water 19 reaches an open top end 34 of the standpipe 30.Preferably, the volume of hot water 19 within hot water tank 16 isutilized for multiple cleaning cycles of multiple sets of dishware, forexample, up to six to eight cleaning cycles, before the hot water isdrained. As shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B, the used wastewater is drainedfrom hot water tank 16 by moving standpipe 30 in an upward direction,such as by a lever or handle (not shown), thereby unseating open bottomend 32 of standpipe 30 from drain 17 of hot water tank 16. As such, thewastewater disposed within hot water tank 16 is now free to drain intointerior chamber 23 of drain water fitting 22.

Drain tempering valve 24 includes a temperature sensor 26 that extendsinwardly into interior chamber 23 of the drain water fitting. Draintempering valve 24 may be a mechanical valve including a bimetallicswitch (not shown). The set point of the drain tempering valve'sbimetallic switch is adjusted to desired threshold temperature, such as160° F., so that when temperature sensor 26 is immersed in large amountsof draining wastewater (indicated by arrow 13) that exceeds the setpoint, such as when a bottom end 32 of standpipe 30 is withdrawn fromdrain 17 of hot water tank 16, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B, thebimetallic switch changes state, thereby causing drain tempering valve24 to open so that cold water from the cold water source flows intointerior chamber 23 of drain water fitting 22. This mixes the cold waterwith the draining wastewater prior to the wastewater exiting drain wateroutlet port 29, thereby lowering the temperature of the water exitingoutlet port 29. As long as the temperature of the wastewater withininterior chamber 23 of drain water fitting 22 exceeds the valve's setpoint, the bimetallic switch will maintain drain tempering valve 24 inits open position. Once the temperature of the wastewater with interiorchamber 23 no longer exceeds the set point, the bimetallic switchchanges state, thereby closing the drain tempering valve 24 and securingthe flow of cold water into the drain water fitting 22. Electronic draintempering valves may also be used in drain water tempering systems. Ingeneral, the drain tempering valve comprises a valve body that definesan inlet port and an outlet port. In this instance, the inlet port isconnected to the cold water source, while the outlet port is connectedto interior chamber 23. The valve body defines a valve seat at anopening between the inlet and outlet ports that fluidly connects theports. A valve plug is disposed movably within the valve body betweentwo states, one (closed) in which the valve plug engages the valve seatand thereby blocks fluid flow from the inlet to the outlet port, and one(open) in which the valve plug is offset from the valve seat, therebyallowing fluid flow from the inlet port to the outlet port. A biasingdevice, e.g. a spring or solenoid, is disposed operatingly between thevalve plug and the valve body, normally maintaining the valve plug ineither the open or closed position. In the embodiments discussed herein,biasing device biases the valve plug so that the valve is normally (i.e.when the thermostatic element discussed below, is not in contact withfluid above the set point temperature) closed. A thermostatic actuator,e.g. a bimetallic or fluid or wax-controlled switch, is disposedoperatively between the biasing device and the valve plug and isdisposed operatingly within interior chamber 23 so that, when fluidwithin interior chamber 23 contains fluid above the set pointtemperature, the thermostatic actuator, in contact with the fluid,changes states, thereby causing the biasing device to change the valveplug's state. In one or more embodiments, e.g. a compressed spring maynormally bias the valve plug to the closed state, but when a bimetallicswitch comes into contact with fluid in the interior chamber above theset point temperature, the bimetallic switch releases the spring so thatthe plug moves in response to the cold source water pressure, therebyallowing cold water to flow from the outlet port at the cold watersource to the valve's outlet port at interior chamber 23. The operationof both mechanical and electronic drain tempering valves is well knownand, therefore, a further detailed description of their operation is notprovided herein.

Often, commercial warewashing machines are designed such that their hotwater tanks 16 are only required to be drained after multiple dishwarecleaning cycles, for example six to eight cycles, which facilitateswater conservation. Although known drain water tempering systems mayfunction properly when the hot water tank is purposefully being drained,problems are known to exist during repeated cleaning cycles in whichstandpipe 30 remains in the seated position within drain 17, as shown inFIG. 1A. Specifically, referring additionally to FIG. 2A, during therepeated cleaning cycles of the dishware, small amounts of hot water(indicated by arrows 11) can enter the open top end 34 of standpipe 30and flow down the standpipe's inner surface into interior chamber 23 ofdrain water fitting 22. The amount of hot water that passes throughstandpipe 30, and the rate at which the hot water passes, is typicallynot great enough to cause the water to accumulate within drain waterfitting 22. Rather, the small amounts of hot wastewater draincontinuously from drain water fitting 22 into the drainage system. Suchhot water accumulation within interior chamber 23 is not great enough tosubmerge, or even make contact with, temperature sensor 26 of draintempering valve 24. As a result, drain tempering valve 24 remains in theclosed position, and cold water is not mixed with the hot wastewater.The draining wastewater exits drain water fitting 22 at substantiallythe same temperature as that of the volume of hot water 19 that isstored within hot water tank 16. As noted above, temperatures of up to180° F. are often utilized during typical cleaning and sanitizingoperations, meaning known drain water tempering systems may allowwastewater drainage exceeding the threshold temperature set byregulations to enter the drainage system of the corresponding building.

The present invention recognizes and addresses considerations of priorart constructions and methods.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a warewashing systemfor dishware with a drain water tempering system including a warewashingmachine having a housing defining an internal volume, a heat source forheating water from a first water source, a hot water tank adjacent theinternal volume for receiving and collecting the water heated by theheat source, and an agitation unit for applying the water heated by theheat source to the dishware when the dishware is received in thehousing, a drain water fitting having a body defining an interiorchamber, a drain water inlet port in fluid communication with a drain ofthe hot water tank, a drain water outlet port, and a cool water inletport configured to communicate with a cool water source, and a draintempering valve disposed within the cool water inlet port and movablebetween a closed position in which the drain water tempering valveblocks a fluid flow path between the cool water source and the interiorchamber and an open position in which the drain tempering valve opensthe flow path, the drain tempering valve including a thermostatic sensoroperative about a set point temperature to control the drain temperingvalve to the closed position when the thermostatic sensor senses atemperature below the set point and to control the drain tempering valveto the open position when the thermostatic sensor senses a temperatureabove the set point, wherein the interior chamber of the drain waterfitting defines a top volume portion and a bottom volume portion, thebottom volume portion being disposed below a threshold at which thedrain water outlet port intersects the interior chamber of the body, andat least a portion of the temperature sensor of the drain temperingvalve is disposed within the bottom volume portion of the interiorchamber.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a warewashingsystem for dishware with a drain water tempering system including awarewashing machine having a housing defining an internal volume, a heatsource for heating the water from a first water source, and a hot watertank including a drain, the hot water tank being adjacent the internalvolume for receiving and collecting the water heated by the heat source,a drain water fitting having a top end, a bottom end, and a bodyextending therebetween that defines an interior chamber, a drain waterinlet port in fluid communication with the drain of the hot water tank,a drain water outlet port, and a cool water inlet port configured tocommunicate with a cool water source, and a drain tempering valvedisposed within the cool water inlet port and movable between a closedposition in which the drain water tempering valve blocks a fluid flowpath between the cool water source and the interior chamber and an openposition in which the drain tempering valve opens the flow path, thedrain tempering valve including a thermostatic sensor operative about aset point temperature to control the drain tempering valve to the closedposition when the thermostatic sensor senses a temperature below the setpoint and to control the drain tempering valve to the open position whenthe thermostatic sensor senses a temperature above the set point,wherein a longitudinal center axis of the cool water inlet port isdisposed between the bottom end of the drain water fitting and alongitudinal center axis of the drain water outlet port.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a drain watertempering system for use with a warewashing machine having a housingdefining an internal volume, a heat source for heating the water from afirst water source, a hot water tank for receiving the water heated bythe heat source, and an agitation unit for applying the water dishwaredisposed in the housing, the drain water tempering system including adrain water fitting having a body defining an interior chamber, a drainwater inlet port in fluid communication with a drain of the hot watertank, a drain water outlet port, and a cool water inlet port configuredto communicate with a cool water source, and a drain tempering valvedisposed within the cool water inlet port and movable between a closedposition in which the drain water tempering valve blocks a fluid flowpath between the cool water source and the interior chamber and an openposition in which the drain tempering valve opens the flow path, thedrain tempering valve including a thermostatic sensor operative about aset point temperature to control the drain tempering valve to the closedposition when the thermostatic sensor senses a temperature below the setpoint and to control the drain tempering valve to the open position whenthe thermostatic sensor senses a temperature above the set point,wherein the interior chamber of the drain water fitting defines a topvolume portion and a bottom volume portion, the bottom volume portionbeing disposed below a threshold at which the drain water outlet portintersects the interior chamber of the body, and at least a portion ofthe temperature sensor of the drain tempering valve is disposed withinthe bottom volume portion of the interior chamber.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth in the specification, which makes reference to the appendeddrawings, in which;

FIGS. 1A and 1B are partial cross-sectional views of a warewashingmachine including a prior art drain water tempering system;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are partial cross-sectional views of the warewashingmachine and drain water tempering system shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a warewashing machineincluding a drain water tempering system in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of the drain water temperingsystem shown in FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a drain water fitting of the drainwater tempering system shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a warewashing machine including thedrain water tempering system shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elementsof the invention according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred embodimentsof the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation,not limitation, of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made in thepresent invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof.For instance, features illustrated or described as part of oneembodiment may be used on another embodiment to yield a still furtherembodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers suchmodifications and variations as come within the scope of the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

As used herein, terms referring to a direction or a position relative tothe orientation of the dishware cooling system for a warewashingmachine, such as but not limited to “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,”“bottom,” “above,” or “below,” refer to directions and relativepositions with respect to the dishware cooling system's orientation inits normal intended operation, as indicated in FIGS. 3, 4A, and 4B.Thus, for instance, the terms “vertical” and “top” refer to the verticalorientation and relative upper position in the perspective of FIGS. 3,4A, and 4B and should be understood in that context, even with respectto a dishware cooling system that may be disposed in a differentorientation.

Further, the term “or” as used in this application and the appendedclaims is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive“or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context,the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the naturalinclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs A or B” issatisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B;or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “and” asused in this application and the appended claims should generally beconstrued to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear fromthe context to be directed to a singular form. Throughout thespecification and claims, the following terms take at least the meaningsexplicitly associated herein, unless the context dictates otherwise. Themeanings identified below do not necessarily limit the terms, but merelyprovide illustrative examples for the terms. The meaning of “a,” “and,”and “the” may include plural references, and the meaning of “in” mayinclude “in” and “on.” The phrase “in one embodiment,” as used herein,does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may.

Referring now to the figures, specifically FIGS. 3, 4A and 5 , a drainwater tempering system 50 in accordance with the present disclosureincludes a drain water fitting 52 and a drain tempering valve 54. Asshown, drain water fitting 52 includes a body 51 defining an interiorchamber 53. Body 51 includes a drain water inlet 55 formed at the topend of body 51, a cool water inlet port 57, and a drain water outletport 59, the cool water inlet port 57 and drain water outlet ports 59intersecting the side wall of body portion 51. As shown, drain waterinlet port 55 is in fluid communication with drain 17 of hot water tank16 of warewashing machine 40, drain water outlet port 59 is in fluidcommunication with a drainage system 71 (FIG. 6 ) of a building, andcool water inlet port 57 is in fluid communication with a cool watersource 43 (FIG. 6 ) by way of drain tempering valve 54, which isdisposed therein. A clean out port 68 may be formed in a bottom wall ofbody portion 51, clean out port 68 being sealed by a selectivelyremovable clean out plug 65 to allow drain water fitting 52 to beselectively drained and cleaned when desired.

Referring specifically to FIG. 5 , drain water fitting 52 of drain watertempering system 50 is configured to accumulate small amounts of hotdrain water (11, FIG. 4A) that may pass through a standpipe of awarewashing machine during routine cleaning cycles to help insure propertempering prior to entering the associated drainage system. As shown,body 51 of drain water fitting 52 defines an interior chamber 53 thatincludes a top volume portion 62 and a bottom volume portion 64. Theboundary between top volume portion 62 and bottom volume portion 64 isdefined by a horizontal plane 67 that is tangent to a threshold 63 wheredrain water outlet port 59 intersects interior chamber 53 of drain waterfitting 52. As such, drain water passing through standpipe 30 ofwarewashing machine 40 (FIG. 3 ) accumulates in bottom volume portion 64until the level of the accumulated water exceeds the level of threshold63. As shown, a longitudinal center axis 66 of cool water inlet port 57is disposed below plane 67 (in which threshold 63 lies). As such, asshown in FIG. 4A, temperature sensor 56 of drain tempering valve 54 isdisposed at least partially within bottom volume portion 64 so thatdraining wastewater makes contact with temperature sensor 56 prior toflowing out of drain tempering valve 54. Also as shown in theillustrated embodiment, a longitudinal center axis 68 of drain wateroutlet port 59 is disposed above plane 67.

Referring additionally to FIG. 6 , a warewashing machine 40 including anembodiment of a drain water tempering system 50 is shown. Although astand-alone warewashing machine 40 is shown in the illustrated example,the disclosed drain water tempering system may be used with pass-throughstyle machines as well. With regard to the illustrated example, anoperator initially places a rack 61 with dishware 69 into the interiorvolume 65 of warewashing machine 40. Warewashing machine 40 has ahousing 37 that defines interior volume 27 a front opening thereof, andthat includes a door 29. A water source, e.g. a municipal water supply,is indicated by an input water line at 43. A pump (not shown) drawswater from water source 43 and drives the water into a hot water tank 16that includes a heating unit, the hot water tank being disposed in thelower part of housing 37. A recirculation pump 18 forces the heatedwater up to an agitation unit 47 having a plurality of arms 13 (only twoof which are indicated in FIG. 6 ) that rotate about a vertical axiswhile spraying pressurized water upward therefrom. Upon the return ofdoor 29 to its upright position and the user's actuation of warewashingmachine 40, the machine's control circuitry applies electrical power tothe heating unit to heat the incoming water from source 43 at up toapproximately 180° F. or another predetermined temperature level, e.g.approximately 160° F. or 165° F., and recirculation pump 18 pumps theheated water to agitation unit 47/13, which sprays the heated waterupward through apertures in rotating spray arms 13, thereby cleaning andsanitizing the dishware, as should be understood. Upon completion of thesanitization and cleaning operations on dishware 69, the operatorremoves rack 61 from the warewashing machine 40 such that anothercleaning operation of dishware disposed in another rack may beperformed. As previously noted, multiple cleaning operations arepreferably performed utilizing substantially the same water that isinitially received within hot water tank 16.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 3 and 4A, in operation, a standpipe 30has an open bottom end 32 that is seated within drain 17 of hot watertank 16 so that hot water accumulates within the hot water tank 16 untilthe level of hot water 19 reaches an open top end 34 of the standpipe30. Preferably, the volume of hot water 19 within hot water tank 16 isutilized for multiple cleaning cycles of multiple sets of dishware, forexample, up to six to eight cleaning cycles, before the hot water isdrained. As shown in FIGS. 4B, the used wastewater is drained from hotwater tank 16 by moving standpipe 30 in an upward direction, such as bya lever or handle (not shown), thereby unseating open bottom end 32 ofstandpipe 30 from drain 17 of hot water tank 16. As such, the wastewaterdisposed within hot water tank 16 is now free to drain into interiorchamber 53 of drain water fitting 52.

Drain tempering valve 54 includes a thermostatic sensor 56 that extendsinwardly into interior chamber 53 of the drain water fitting. In theillustrated embodiment, drain tempering valve 54 is a mechanical valveincluding a bimetallic switch (not shown). Drain tempering valve 54includes a bimetallic switch that is operable about the desiredthreshold temperature, such as 160° F., so that when thermostatic sensor56 is immersed in draining wastewater (indicated by arrow 13) thatexceeds the set point, as shown in FIG. 4B, the bimetallic switchchanges state, thereby causing drain tempering valve 54 to open so thatcold water flows into interior chamber 53 of drain water fitting 52. Assuch, the cold water is mixed with the draining wastewater prior to thewastewater exiting drain water outlet port 25. As long as thetemperature of the wastewater within interior chamber 53 of drain waterfitting 52 exceeds the set point, the bimetallic switch will maintaindrain tempering valve 54 in the open position. Once the temperature ofthe wastewater with interior chamber 53 no longer exceeds the set point,the bimetallic switch changes state, thereby closing the drain temperingvalve 54 and securing, or stopping, the flow of cold water into thedrain water fitting 52. Electronic drain tempering valves may also beused in the currently disclosed drain water tempering systems. Theoperation of both mechanical and electronic drain tempering valves iswell known and, therefore, a detailed description of their operation isnot provided herein.

As previously discussed, commercial warewashing machines are oftendesigned so that their hot water tanks 16 are only drained aftermultiple dishware cleaning cycles, for example six to eight cycles.Referring specifically to FIGS. 4A and 5 , during the repeated cleaningcycles of the dishware, small amounts of hot water (indicated by arrows11) may enter the open top end 34 of standpipe 30 and flow down theinner surface of standpipe 30 into interior chamber 53 of drain waterfitting 52. Unlike the previously discussed prior art drain watertempering systems, such as that discussed previously with regard toFIGS. 2A and 2B, in which small amounts of hot water (indicated byarrows 11) drain continuously from the drain water fitting into thedrainage system, small amounts of hot water 11 passing through standpipe30 during normal cleaning cycles accumulate within interior chamber 53of the presently disclosed drain water fitting 52. As such, embodimentsof the disclosed drain water tempering system 50 allow for temperingsmall flows of hot water that drain through standpipe 30 during normalcleaning cycles, as discussed in greater detail below.

Specifically, referring to FIGS. 3, 4A and 5 , during normal dishwarecleaning cycles, small amounts of hot water 11 that enter open top end34 of standpipe 30 accumulate within bottom volume portion 64 of drainwater fitting 52 until the top surface of the accumulated hot waterreaches the level of threshold 63, which is the bottommost surface ofthe intersection of cool water outlet port 59 and interior chamber 53 ofdrain water fitting 52. As shown, at least a portion of thermostaticsensor 56 of drain tempering valve 54 is disposed within bottom volumeportion 64 below threshold 63, meaning thermostatic sensor 56 is atleast partially submerged within the hot water accumulated in bottomvolume portion 64. As such, thermostatic sensor 56 is operable to detectand respond to the temperature of the accumulated hot water withinbottom volume portion 64 to thereby actuate the bimetallic switch ofdrain tempering valve 54 when the accumulated hot water exceeds thepre-selected temperature. As such, adequate tempering of hot drain wateris accomplished whether hot water thank 16 is being fully drained by theremoval of standpipe 30 from drain 17 (FIG. 4B), or small amounts of hotwater are entering drain water tempering system 50 during repeatedcleaning cycles (FIG. 4A).

While one or more preferred embodiments of the invention are describedabove, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the scope and spirit thereof. It is intended thatthe present invention cover such modifications and variations as comewithin the scope and spirit of the appended claims and theirequivalents.

1. A warewashing system for dishware with a drain water temperingsystem, comprising: a warewashing machine having a housing defining aninternal volume, a heat source for heating water from a first watersource, a hot water tank adjacent the internal volume for receiving andcollecting the water heated by the heat source, and an agitation unitfor applying the water heated by the heat source to the dishware whenthe dishware is received in the housing; a drain water fitting having abody defining an interior chamber, a drain water inlet port in fluidcommunication with a drain of the hot water tank, a drain water outletport, and a cool water inlet port configured to communicate with a coolwater source, and a drain tempering valve disposed within the cool waterinlet port and movable between a closed position in which the drainwater tempering valve blocks a fluid flow path between the cool watersource and the interior chamber and an open position in which the draintempering valve opens the flow path, the drain tempering valve includinga thermostatic sensor operative about a set point temperature to controlthe drain tempering valve to the closed position when the thermostaticsensor senses a temperature below the set point and to control the draintempering valve to the open position when the thermostatic sensor sensesa temperature above the set point, wherein the interior chamber of thedrain water fitting defines a top volume portion and a bottom volumeportion, the bottom volume portion being disposed below a threshold atwhich the drain water outlet port intersects the interior chamber of thebody, and at least a portion of the temperature sensor of the draintempering valve is disposed within the bottom volume portion of theinterior chamber.
 2. The warewashing system of claim 1, wherein alongitudinal center axis of the cool water inlet port extends into thebottom volume portion of the interior chamber of the drain temperingvalve.
 3. The warewashing system of claim 1, wherein a longitudinalcenter axis of the cool water inlet port is disposed between a bottomend of the drain tempering valve and a longitudinal center axis of thedrain water outlet port.
 4. The warewashing system of claim 1, whereinthe thermostatic sensor of the drain tempering valve is disposedentirely within the bottom volume portion of the interior chamber. 5.The warewashing system of claim 1, further comprising a standpipe havinga top end, a bottom end, and an elongated body extending therebetween,wherein the bottom end of the standpipe is removably seated within thedrain of the hot water tank.
 6. The warewashing system of claim 1,wherein the drain tempering valve is one of a mechanically-controlledvalve having a bimetallic switch and an electronically-controlled valvehaving a solenoid.
 7. The warewashing system of claim 1, wherein thefirst water source is in fluid communication with the cool water inletport of the drain tempering valve.
 8. The warewashing system of claim 1,further comprising a second water source that is in fluid communicationwith the cool water inlet port.
 9. A warewashing system for dishwarewith a drain water tempering system, comprising: a warewashing machinehaving a housing defining an internal volume, a heat source for heatingthe water from a first water source, and a hot water tank including adrain, the hot water tank being adjacent the internal volume forreceiving and collecting the water heated by the heat source; a drainwater fitting having a top end, a bottom end, and a body extendingtherebetween that defines an interior chamber, a drain water inlet portin fluid communication with the drain of the hot water tank, a drainwater outlet port, and a cool water inlet port configured to communicatewith a cool water source, and a drain tempering valve disposed withinthe cool water inlet port and movable between a closed position in whichthe drain water tempering valve blocks a fluid flow path between thecool water source and the interior chamber and an open position in whichthe drain tempering valve opens the flow path, the drain tempering valveincluding a thermostatic sensor operative about a set point temperatureto control the drain tempering valve to the closed position when thethermostatic sensor sensed a temperature below the set point and tocontrol the drain tempering valve to the open position when thethermostatic sensor senses a temperature above the set point, wherein alongitudinal center axis of the cool water inlet port is disposedbetween the bottom end of the drain water fitting and a longitudinalcenter axis of the drain water outlet port.
 10. The warewashing systemof claim 9, wherein the longitudinal center axis of the cool water inletport is parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the drain wateroutlet port.
 11. The warewashing system of claim 9, wherein the interiorchamber of the drain water fitting defines a top volume portion and abottom volume portion, the bottom volume portion being disposed below athreshold at which the drain water outlet port intersects the interiorchamber of the body of the drain water fitting, and at least a portionof the temperature sensor of the drain tempering valve is disposedwithin the bottom volume portion of the interior chamber.
 12. Thewarewashing system of claim 9, further comprising: an agitation unit forapplying the water heated by the heat source to the dishware when thedishware is received in the housing.
 13. A drain water tempering systemfor use with a warewashing machine having a housing defining an internalvolume, a heat source for heating the water from a first water source, ahot water tank for receiving the water heated by the heat source, and anagitation unit for applying the water dishware disposed in the housing,the drain water tempering system comprising: a drain water fittinghaving a body defining an interior chamber, a drain water inlet port influid communication with a drain of the hot water tank, a drain wateroutlet port, and a cool water inlet port configured to communicate witha cool water source, and a drain tempering valve disposed within thecool water inlet port and movable between a closed position in which thedrain water tempering valve blocks a fluid flow path between the coolwater source and the interior chamber and an open position in which thedrain tempering valve opens the flow path, the drain tempering valveincluding a thermostatic sensor operative about a set point temperatureto control the drain tempering valve to the closed position when thethermostatic sensor senses a temperature below the set point and tocontrol the drain tempering valve to the open position when thethermostatic sensor senses a temperature above the set point, whereinthe interior chamber of the drain water fitting defines a top volumeportion and a bottom volume portion, the bottom volume portion beingdisposed below a threshold at which the drain water outlet portintersects the interior chamber of the body, and at least a portion ofthe temperature sensor of the drain tempering valve is disposed withinthe bottom volume portion of the interior chamber.
 14. The drain watertempering system of claim 13, wherein a longitudinal center axis of thecool water inlet port extends into the bottom volume portion of theinterior chamber of the drain tempering valve.
 15. The drain watertempering system of claim 13, wherein a longitudinal center axis of thecool water inlet port is disposed between a bottom end of the draintempering valve and a longitudinal center axis of the drain water outletport.
 16. The drain water tempering system of claim 13, wherein thetemperature sensor of the drain tempering valve is disposed entirelywithin the bottom volume portion of the interior chamber.
 17. The drainwater tempering system of claim 13, further comprising a standpipehaving a top end, a bottom end, and an elongated body extendingtherebetween, wherein the bottom end of the standpipe is removablyseated within the drain of the hot water tank.
 18. The drain watertempering system of claim 13, wherein the drain tempering valve is oneof a mechanically-controlled valve having a bimetallic switch and anelectronically-controlled valve having a solenoid.